1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a high-duty sliding surface bearing comprising a load-carrying backing shell and a bearing metal layer applied to the backing shell and formed with elongate recesses which extend at least substantially in the peripheral direction, are distributed over the axial extent of the bearing surface and have an axial center spacing not in excess of 10 mm, and a softer bearing material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to provide a sliding surface bearing in which the advantage afforded by a relatively hard bearing material and the use of a relatively soft bearing material are combined whereas the disadvantages involved in the use of each of said materials are avoided, it is known from Austrian Pat. No. 369,145 to embed the softer bearing material in elongate recesses formed in the harder bearing metal layer and extending at least substantially in the peripheral direction. Because the spacing of the elongate recesses is limited, a fine distribution of the harder and softer bearing materials over the axial extent of the sliding surface is obtained so that, even in a local area subjected to a load, the two bearing materials will become effective only in combination rather than individually and the disadvantages involved in the use of each bearing material are substantially eliminated. In such a bearing, the bearing metal layer consisting of a relatively hard material has a supporting function, which involves a relative relief of the softer material, and this has the result that the fatigue limit and the wear resistance of the sliding surface are increased. Bearings of the kind are substantially similar in their behavior to bearings having a continuous sliding surface consisting of a relatively soft bearing material but have a higher wear resistance. But these bearings are not equally well suited for all applications because the harder bearing metal layer may not always be capable of an adequate adaptation to excessive deformation under severe conditions. Where such an adaptation is required, e.g., as the bearing is run in, it will be necessary to use conventional bearings having a relatively soft bearing metal layer although the latter is not satisfactory as regards fatigue limit and wear resistance.